Big Brother?
by Emy Bellerose
Summary: When Kasanoda Ritsu's older sister, Momoka, finds out that her brother is calling Mori Big Brother, she feels like her position as older sibling is in jeopardy. What else can she do, but challenge him to a fight? Unfortunately, not only is her position in danger, her heart is too. MoriXOC.
1. I Challenge You!

In the Lobelia Girl's Academy dormitory, a third year high school student was talking on her cellphone, "What do you mean he has a crush? My cute little Ritsu is too young to have a crush."

"Momoka-sama, he is a first year in high school." Tetsuya responded on the other end of the line. He had been a member of the Kasanoda-gumi for a year now, and it was his job to keep Momoka updated on her younger brother.

"Tell me about this girl," Momoka demanded. "How did they meet?"

"Well," Tetsuya paused. He was not sure if he wanted to explain that Ritsu's crush wasn't a girl.

"Well, what?" Momoka asked irritated. Like her brother, Momoka inherited red hair and a short temper from their mother.

"Well, he met Fujioka Haruhi in the Host Club."

"Her name is Haruhi?" She thought about the name, but then the rest of Tetsuya's sentence caught up to her. "Host Club?!"

"Yes, Fujioka-san is a member of the Host Club." He confirmed.

Flabbergasted, she asked, "Why is there a girl in the Host Club?"

"Um, Momoka-sama," Tetsuya started hesitantly, "Fujioka-san is a boy."

"WHAT?!" She yelled startled. "I mean I don't care if he likes a boy. I was just surprised." Momoka rambled.

"Momoka-sama, there is something else I should tell you." Tetsuya interrupted. "Ritsu-sama was the victim of bullying," He thought it would be simpler to call it bullying than to call it being targeted by a rival syndicate.

"Who would do something like that to my precious Ritsu?" Momoka asked with her eyes flashing. She had temporarily forgotten about Ritsu's crush.

"Don't worry. Ritsu-sama's big brother took care of the threat."

"Big brother?" Momoka questioned in a tone that terrified Tetsuya. "There is someone daring enough to take over my role as Ritsu's big sister?"

"No, Momoka-sama, no one wants to take over your role as sister. Ritsu-sama calls Morinozuka-san big brother." He tried and failed to cheer her up.

"Ritsu replaced me!" She wailed. Then, as if a fire had been lit behind her eyes, she promised, "Morinozuka, I will punish you for trying to usurp my position as Ritsu's older sister!"

An hour away in the Haninozuka residence, Takashi sneezed.

"Taka-chan, you aren't getting a cold, are you?" Honey asked his cousin worriedly.

"No," Mori replied simply.

#####

One Wednesday afternoon, one of the busiest days the Host Club had ever had according to Kyoya, the occupants of Music Room Number Three were disturbed unexpectedly. The double doors slammed open with enough ferocity that they smacked into the wall and knocked drywall onto the floor.

Some of the girls screamed in terror, and others cowered behind the furniture. The seven hosts stood quickly shielding their guests.

"Fear not, my princesses! I, the King of the Host Club, will be your knight in shining armor!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"More like a fool in aluminum foil," Haruhi mumbled.

"Oh, brother, I'm scared!" Kaoru whimpered.

Never failing to entertain the girls, Hikaru wrapped his arms around his brother and declared, "I'll protect you!"

Kyoya grabbed his phone and was quickly dialing his private police force.

Mori and Honey had dropped into fighting stances ready to demonstrate their abilities in order to protect the girls.

Their jaws dropped simultaneously, Mori included, when they got a good look at the intruder.

Standing at a whopping four foot nine inches, the intruder was wearing a Lobelia uniform with Medusa-like red hair and a glare that would make inanimate objects run for cover.

"Where is Morinozuka?" She asked.

Recovering from shock, the hosts closed their mouths and relaxed. Kyoya called off the cavalry and Tamaki began approaching the new princess.

"I'll only ask one more time: where is Morinozuka?"

"Here," Mori responded as he stepped in front of Honey.

Years of practice taught Momoka that people underestimated her because of her size. She would not make the same mistake when fighting Mori.

"Hi-yaw!" She yelled. Momoka took off running and jumped into the air.

As she sailed through the air, the lone male guest stepped towards both of them. When he realized just who it was that was jumping, he exclaimed, "Momo-nee?!"

"Ritsu!" Completely side-tracked, she fell to the ground a few feet from her target. When she stood up again, she launched herself at her little brother.

"Momo-nee?!" Tamaki and the twins yelled, "BossaNova, that's your sister?"

"Momo-nee, what are you doing here?" Kasanoda questioned.

"Ritsy, how could you?" She wailed into his chest, "How could you replace me with that giant over there?"

"Ritsy?" The twins giggled.

"Kasanoda-san, perhaps you could explain why you attempted to attack one of the hosts." Kyoya interrupted her tirade.

Honey bounced on the balls of his feet and leaned out from behind Mori. Mori hadn't moved, and Honey was getting concerned. The fact that confusion was visible on his face told Honey that Mori didn't have the slightest idea why the girl was angry with him.

"Momo-chan?" Honey asked stepping around Mori, who was still frozen. "Why are you mad at Taka-chan?"

Momoka let go of her brother feeling a little embarrassed about her outburst. She turned around trying to look innocent and lady-like. "Hello, I'm Kasanoda Momoka."

"I'm aware of that: Kasanoda Momoka, 17 years old, blood type AB. You're the second daughter of the Kasanoda family and older sister of Kasanoda Ritsu. Last I was informed, you were a Lobelia student. What I'm not aware of is what you are doing here?" Kyoya's glass glinted as he interrogated her.

"I'm here to see Ritsu!" Momoka grinned.

"Momo-nee, he wants to know why you were trying to attack Big Brother." Kasanoda explained unnecessarily.

At Big Brother, Momoka remembered her mission and her glare returned as she advanced on Mori again. "I challenge you, Morinozuka, to a fight."

The other guests and hosts had been watching Momoka intently. When she issued her challenge, they, in unison, turned towards Mori.

"Huh," was Mori's intelligent response.

"I challenge you for the right to be Ritsy's big sister." Momoka stopped inches away from Mori.

"What?" Mori blinked a couple of times and the look of confusion deepened. He resisted the urge to bend down to her level or pick her up to his. He didn't get the feeling she would appreciate that.

"Name your terms for the battle," Momoka continued.

Mori's brain turned off and turned back on again in an attempt to unfreeze.

"I apologize, my princesses, but I believe we will have to end our day early." Tamaki said ushering the guests out of the room.

"Any day now, giant-san."

"Momo-nee, you can't fight Big Brother." Kasanoda answered instead of Mori.

"I can and I will. You replaced me with this, this skyscraper. I have to defend my position as your Big Sister."

"I think she has," Kaoru started.

"A brother complex," Hikaru finished.

"You guys are one to talk," Haruhi said rolling her eyes.

Once all of the guests minus Kasanoda had left and the doors had been closed, Tamaki approached Momoka. "Might I suggest we all calm down and come to a reasonable decision?" He asked and Haruhi snorted at the thought of Tamaki coming up with a 'reasonable decision'.

"The only reasonable decision is for him to fight me."

"I don't want to fight you." Mori finally said more than one word.

"You don't get a choice," she responded, "A challenge, once issued, cannot be taken back. You must fight me. Now name your terms."

"Rock, Paper, Scissors?" Haruhi suggested.

Mori began nodding enthusiastically, "Yes."

Momoka almost fell over in surprise, "Fine. On the count of three."

"One," The twins grabbed popcorn.

"Two," Kyoya started scribbling in his notebook.

"Three!"

Mori displayed rock, and Momoka played paper.

"I win! I get to be Ritsu's Big Sister again." Momoka started doing a victory dance.

"Um, Momo-nee, you were always my big sister." Kasanoda said looking at his sister.

"Yep, and I'm the only one! Take that giant-san!" She said sticking out her tongue at Mori.

"What about Kaede-nee?" He reminded her of the oldest Kasanoda sibling.

"She doesn't count." Momoka said dismissively.

"Well, that was anticlimactic." Hikaru said.

"Yeah, I wanted to see the pipsqueak fight Mori-sempai." Kaoru added.

"Pipsqueak?" Momoka turned on Kaoru, "Do you want to go? Well, do you?"

Kaoru sweat dropped, "No, no, I don't. We are just going to go over here." He dragged his twin into a side-room. Tamaki, Kyoya, and Haruhi followed the twins out.

Returning to her angelic appearance, Momoka turned towards the remaining hosts. "Now, that all of that is out of the way. It's a pleasure to meet you Morinozuka-san. Thank you for taking care of Ritsu for me."


	2. His Special Name

"You're welcome." The perplexed look still hadn't left Mori's face, but he was still polite.

"Who are you?" Momoka turned away from the tallest host and addressed the shortest.

"Hiya, I'm Haninozuka Mitsukuni. You can call me Honey. It's nice to meet you Momo-chan."

"Nice to meet you, too, Honey. Hey, Ritsy, there is someone else I want to meet."

"Sure, Momo-nee. Who do you want to meet?"

A Cheshire cat grin spread across Momoka's face, "I want to meet Haruhi-chan."

"Why would you want to do that?" Kasanoda asked nervously.

"I want to meet the lovely young man that has captured your heart." Momoka said shamelessly.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Momo-nee." He tried to lie, but his sister saw straight through it.

"I can tell you're lying because you're blushing." Momoka said matter-of-factly. "If my dear Ritsy won't take me, you'll have to giant-san."

"No." Mori replied.

"No? Why not?" Momoka looked genuinely confused.

"Momo-nee, you did just try to attack him."

"Oh, I guess that's a good reason, Godzilla-san."

"That's not why," Mori grunted. Momoka looked at him to continue. "That's not my name."

"Name?"

"Giant and Godzilla are not my name." Mori explained.

"Well, then, what should I call you?"

"Morinozuka Takashi."

"Really? Morniozuka Takashi? Can I call you Taka-mori? Please?"

"Taka-mori? Like the mountain, Momo-chan?" Honey asked.

"Yes, it's perfect! So, can I please?" Momoka begged Mori.

"Um," Mori didn't want to say yes.

"Pretty, please?" Momoka turned on her puppy dog eyes.

"Uh," Mori was starting to waiver.

"Pretty, please, with a strawberry on top." Her puppy dog eyes were turned up a level.

"Fine," Mori consented begrudgingly.

"Yay! Taka-mori!" Momoka jumped for joy. "Okay, Taka-mori, take me to meet Haruhi-chan."

"Alright," Mori resigned himself.

With Honey in the lead, Mori started walking to the dressing area. Momoka followed closely behind dragging her brother unwillingly along with her.

As they entered the room, the rest of the Host Club seemed to be in deep discussion.

"Haru-chan, Momo-chan wants to meet you."

"Why does she want to meet me?"

"So, you are Haruhi-chan? Great," Momoka exclaimed getting ready to launch herself at the cross-dressing host. Before she got too far, Momoka found herself dangling about a foot in the air and trapped by two really strong arms. "Hey, what's that for? Let me go!" She squealed kicking her legs.

"No," Mori said tightening his hold.

"Momo-chan, Taka-chan is worried that you are going to challenge Haru-chan." Honey explained.

"I wasn't going to," Momoka stopped struggling. "I swear! I just wanted to meet him. I was going to hug him. I promise, Taka-mori, I won't hurt him."

"Taka-Mori?" Hikaru asked.

"like Tall-Forest?" Kaoru finished.

"Yes, it's the nickname I gave him." Momoka stated proudly.

"I like it!" Kaoru exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, Taka-Mori-Senpai!"

"No, only I can call him Taka-Mori!" Momoka said angrily. "It's my special name for him."

If Momoka had been paying any attention to the young man still holding her, she might have noticed the faint blush that appeared on his cheeks. Unfortunately for her, she didn't notice, and in his embarrassment, he suddenly let her go.

"Ow! That hurt!" She said standing up.

"Sorry," Mori muttered before swiftly exiting the room.

Hikaru and Kaoru shared a mischievous grin.

"Okay, Momo-senpai, we won't call Mori-senpai by your _special_ name." The twins said in unison.

Shocked by how quickly they gave up, Momoka could only nod.

Oblivious to the budding love story, Haruhi walked up to Momoka, "You wanted to meet me, Momo-senpai?"

Forgetting about the pain of being dropped unceremoniously, Momoka grabbed Haruhi's hands, "Yes, I heard several great things about you and that my cute little Ritsu has a crush on you."

"Momo-nee!" Kasanoda yelped.

"Isn't he the cutest?" Momoka let go of one of Haruhi's hands to pinch her brother's cheek. "Look how red he is getting! I remember this one time when he was four, he-"

"Momo-nee don't tell them about that!" Kasanoda begged.

"Momo-nee, do tell us." Kaoru said throwing his right arm around Momoka.

"We want to hear all about, cute little Ritsy." Hikaru added throwing his left arm around Momoka.

Even though she would have rather not been sandwiched between the twins, Momoka didn't mind talking about her favorite subject.

Kasanoda thought the twins knowing his most embarrassing stories was probably the worst possible thing that could happen, so he had to figure out a way to distract her. "I thought you had questions for Haruhi-san. If you don't I think, I'll ask her-him, I mean, on a date."

"A date?!" Momoka jerked away from the conniving lookalike hosts.

"You can't take my daughter on a date!" Tamaki yelled dramatically, hugging Haruhi so tightly he was squeezing the life out of her.

"Daughter?" Momoka questioned. She looked closely at Haruhi.

The twins and Kasanoda looked at Momoka almost panicked. Kyoya just shook his head and started calculating the losses that would occur if Haruhi's gender was discovered.

"You shouldn't call Haru-kun daughter. It's not very nice," Honey said trying to man-up Haruhi.

Momoka thought Haruhi did have some feminine features, but the distinct lack of curves meant she had to be a boy. "That's a cute nickname, Haruhi-chan. You guys are like a family."

Kyoya, Honey, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Kasanoda looked at the third-year girl with a mixture of disbelief and relief.

"Yes, exactly!" Tamaki said finally letting go of the now blue Haruhi. "This is mommy," He pointed at Kyoya. "I'm daddy!" He added proudly.

"So, what does that make the twins? Haruhi-chan's siblings?" Momoka asked trying to map out the family tree.

"No! They are not my sons!" Tamaki denied adamantly.

"Haruhi is our toy!" Hikaru and Kaoru said joyfully.

"They are more like Haruhi's childhood friends." Honey said.

"Oh, that would make sense. They are Ritsu's love rivals! Childhood friends always are." Momoka jumped excitedly. The twins blushed lightly, which told Momoka her assessment was correct. "Okay, we have mom, dad, daughter, next door neighbor kids, and a love interest. How are you related, Honey?"

"I'm the favorite uncle!" Honey giggled.

"Uncle Honey!" Tamaki loved the idea of the Host Club being a family, well except for those devious twins.

"What about Taka-mori?"

"I guess he would be an uncle, too." Tamaki decided.

"Since Ritsy is, can I be part of the family, too?" Momoka asked with her puppy dog eyes.

"You could be Hikaru and Kaoru's mommy!" Tamaki suggested.

"Boss, we already have a mom," Kaoru stated.

"Well since she is the same age as Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai, shouldn't she be my aunt?" Even though Haruhi didn't care for being called daughter, she couldn't deny Momoka when she used the puppy dog eyes.

"That's a great idea, my daughter!"

"Sure, I'll be Aunt Momo!"

All of a sudden Honey yawned really big, "I think it's my nap time. Can you tell Taka-chan, Haru-chan?"

"Sure, Honey-senpai. Sleep well." The shortest host went to his nap couch.

Catching Honey's contagious yawn, Momoka yawned, too. "I think it's past my nap time." She dropped onto a nearby couch. "Good night." Before any of the Host Club could blink, she was asleep.

After a short moment of silence, Kasanoda apologized, "Sorry about Momo-nee. She gets a little crazy when she has jet-lag."

"Jet-lag? How does she have jet-lag?" Hikaru said incredulously.

"Didn't she just come from Lobelia? That's only an hour away." Kaoru added.

"Momo-nee gets jet-lag when she has to travel more than half an hour. That's why she went to Lobelia, so she could stay in the dorms and not have to travel." Kasanoda defended.

"She's odd," Hikaru insulted the third year.

"I think odd is putting it mildly, my dear Hikaru," Kaoru replied.

"Hey, don't insult Momo-nee," Ritsu's eyes narrowed.

"Compared to you two, she is normal." Haruhi defended her new aunt.

"Thanks, Haruhi-san." Kasanoda smiled bashfully. "I don't think she realized your secret."

"I don't care if she knows, BossaNova. You can tell her." Haruhi shrugged.

"I won't tell her. I promised you I wouldn't tell, so I won't."

"Okay, thanks." Haruhi flashed him her natural host smile.

Blushing, Kasanoda walked over to his sister, "I guess I should take her home." He picked her up effortlessly, "See you tomorrow, Haruhi-san."

"Bye, BossaNova!" The twins waved grinning cheekily.

"Until tomorrow, Casanova." Tamaki bid him ado bowing grandly.

"See you." Haruhi responded.

Kyoya glanced up from his laptop for a moment, but didn't say anything. As the door closed behind the Kasanoda siblings, he wondered if he should tell the other hosts that Kasanoda Momoka was starting at Ouran tomorrow. "_Oh, well_," he thought going back to his work.


	3. The Baseball Cap

The next day Momoka started at Ouran's class 3-D. Due to her class location and adjusting to the new school, a week had passed since that fateful Wednesday before she saw anyone from the Host Club again.

Seven days was just long enough for all of the hosts to put their guard down. Tamaki and Haruhi hadn't even lasted one day. Kyoya was curious about if Momoka would show up, but he gave up caring when he started to plan the release of a new Host Club cake. Honey was a lost cause when the new cake was delivered on Monday.

Surprisingly, Hikaru and Karou lasted six days. The twins wanted to see what would happen if they irritated Momoka. Boredom caused them to abandon that train of thought and instead, torture Haruhi again.

Mori lasted the longest because he had been dreading another encounter with the strange girl. When Wednesday dawned bright and early, he couldn't quite shake the ominous feeling that she was going to cause trouble, but since he hadn't seen hide or hair of her, he figured it must be stress. He dismissed the feeling and started his morning routine.

Later that day, the Host Club was dressed up as a baseball team. Each outfit consisted of a uniform, tall two-striped socks, cleats, and a cap.

With a strong mention of pitching, the twins began their popular brotherly love. Tamaki was loudly complaining, "Mommy, I wanted to do American football!" Kyoya thought that the girls would like the tight pants, but the bulky football pads would make it hard to entertain.

A few guests were brave enough to request the Wild Type. Looking striking with his baseball cap shadowing his eyes, Mori intently watched his cousin devour a three-tier strawberry shortcake. The three girls giggled about his stoic look but hadn't made an effort to talk to him.

"You do it," the brunette heiress to a telecommunications group dared her friend.

The youngest daughter of a top-notch bank owner shook her head, "No way, if you want to see what he looks like without it, you have to do it."

"I'll do it," As the only daughter in a family with four sons, Karin had no problems approaching the intimidating host. She silently stood up and with the most grace she could muster, she crept closer. Mori had been absorbed in his thoughts and with overseeing his cousin, so he hadn't noticed her. Karin stood on her tiptoes and stole Mori's baseball cap. Before he could turn, Karin hurried back to her chair and tossed the hat at her brunette friend.

The brunette thought baseball players were cute, but she didn't care for baseball hats. They were too common in her opinion. She thought Mori was the best looking in his crisp white uniform, but the hat was distracting. Now, the offending hat was in her lap.

"Huh?" Mori blinked and turned towards his guests. Usually, he wasn't worried about offending them by not paying attention. Most of them liked him because of his dedication to his cousin.

When his eyes found his cap, the brunette guest quickly hid it behind her back. "You look better without the hat," She explained.

"Don't pick on, Taka-chan!" Honey jumped up thinking the guest was teasing him.

"Honey, we weren't-"

"It's mean!" Honey whimpered with tears in his eyes, "You should give him his hat back."

"It's okay, Mitsukini." Mori said patting Honey's head.

"It's not! It's not okay!" Honey exclaimed. "Give him back his hat, or….or…" Honey tried to come up with a threat, "Give it back, or he'll hug you!"

The three girls squealed at Honey's cuteness. While a hug from their favorite host sounded wonderful, being in such close contact with a young man would be frowned upon by their fathers.

"Okay, I'll give it back." She retrieved the hat and handed it back to Mori.

"That doesn't make any sense at all," Mori's second worst nightmare said. His worst nightmare was Honey getting another toothache.

"Momo-chan!" Honey exclaimed excitedly.

At the mention of her name, the twins turned towards the older girl. "Momo-senpai!" They squealed and launched themselves at her. A millisecond before they reached her, she side-stepped them moving closer to the three guests.

"That wasn't very nice!" The twins pouted.

"Who said I was a nice person?" She responded.

"Of course you're a nice person, Momo-chan!" Honey interjected. "But, but these girls were teasing Taka-chan!"

"We weren't teasing him," The girls protested loudly.

Ignoring the girls' denials, she glared at them for a moment, "I noticed, but that wasn't much of a threat Taka-Mori." Momoka moved towards the tallest host.

"What threat?" He asked quietly.

"Threatening to hug them," Momoka stole the hat from him and put it on her head. "Besides that, your hat looks better on me!" She giggled and skipped towards Haruhi, who was entertaining Kasanoda.

"Momo-chan! You weren't supposed to tease him, too!" Honey called after her, but she only laughed.

Shrugging it off, Mori decided he didn't really care, and he agreed it looked better on her. The thought made him blush lightly. He half-heartedly hoped that she would leave him alone now. She did strange things to him whenever they met.

"Momo-nee, where did you get that?" Kasanoda asked curiously.

"I stole it from Taka-Mori!" Momoka declared proudly.

"Why did you take Mori-senpai's hat?" Haruhi wondered.

"It looks better on me, and Taka-Mori agrees."

"He agreed," thing one began.

Thing two continued, "That it looks cute on you?"

Realizing how her statement sounded when the twins put it like that, Momoka started sputtering, "I meant that he must not care because he didn't take it back."

"Really, that's what you meant?" Kaoru smiled creepily at her.

"We don't believe you, Momo-senpai." Hikaru mirrored his brother's look.

"That's exactly what I meant. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!" She announced.

"Well, in that case, you won't mind if we just take it." Kaoru pulled the hat off her head and tossed it to his brother who was began running to the other side of the room.

"No! Give it back!" Momoka took off after him, but the twins started to play keep away.

It was quite the sight. Two tall lookalikes played monkey in the middle. The monkey in this case was a too short girl, who no matter how high she jumped couldn't reach the hat.

"Give it back to Aunt Momo," Tamaki joined in. While having his help should have made it easier for Momoka, it really did the exact opposite. Tamaki clumsily stumbled between the twins, but they managed to keep it from him.

"Meanies!" Momoka complained running towards Hikaru, who currently had the hat. Tamaki, trying to get ahead of the devious twosome, took off towards Kaoru. Momoka was too upset from their teasing to pay attention, and Tamaki realized too late that they were set on a collision course.

CRASH!

"OUCH!" Tamaki complained.

"OW!" Momoka cried.

"That was so funny!" Hikaru giggled.

"Did you see his face?" Kaoru asked through his laughter.

"Did you see hers?" Hikaru fell to the floor in a heap of giggles.

The loud noise drew the attention of the remaining hosts.

"Momo-chan, are you okay?" Honey asked with concern, apparently forgiving her for teasing his cousin.

"Here," Mori picked Momoka up and sat her on her feet. "Are you hurt?"

"Thanks! I'm fine," Momoka grinned up at him. Realizing that Mori could be useful, she pointed towards the twins, "Taka-Mori, they stole my hat!"

"I think you will find, Kasanoda-san, that it wasn't your hat they stole." Kyoya intervened. "You stole it from Mori-senpai first, which is against club rules." He chastised her.

She shuffled her feet in embarrassment, "I didn't know about that rule." She noticed the hat lying innocently on the ground to her left. She picked it up and dusted it off. "Sorry, Taka-Mori."

"It's fine," he mumbled taking the hat back from her.

"I'm glad he accepted your apology, but I'm afraid that is not sufficient. I believe Honey-senpai stated that the punishment was a hug from Mori-senpai." Kyoya continued with a distinct tone in his voice. It could almost be called teasing or gleeful.

"No, no, that's okay." Momoka tried to keep herself from further embarrassment.

"I'm afraid it's not, Momo-senpai," Kaoru shook his head in mock-disappointment.

"If I remember correctly, you even said it wasn't much of a punishment," Hikaru added.

"Well, well, well, Kasanoda-san, even if you do not agree with the punishment, it still must be done."

"But, but," She tried to come up with another excuse.

"If you don't want Mori-senpai to fulfill your punishment, I could leave Hikaru and Kaoru in charge of it."

"I'll take care of it," Mori said suddenly in a tone that left no room for argument. The thought of the twins being in charge of Momoka's punishment did not sit well with him. It made his gut twist.

He reached over and took Momoka into his arms. She froze nervously. Mori moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, "Sorry, you got in trouble, but that hat did look cute on you."

Starting at the tips of her ears, Momoka's entire face began to turn as red as her hair. Some of the watching bystanders could have sworn they saw steam coming out of her ears.

He sat her back down and stepped away. She hadn't looked up from the fascinating spot she had found on the floor. Her stomach was doing somersaults, and a warm fuzzy feeling spread throughout her body. _He gives amazing hugs_, Momoka thought. If she could have turned redder, she would have, "I think my appointment time is over, so I'll be leaving now." Momoka tried to save face. She quickly glanced at Mori again and then, looked away. "Bye." She barely kept herself from running in her haste to escape.

As the door closed behind her, Haruhi went up to Kyoya, "Did you just make up that rule?"

"Maybe," he answered pushing his glasses up with one finger.

"Maybe?"

"It wouldn't be good for business if our guests started stripping the hosts." He offered as an explanation.

Haruhi gave him a look that clearly said sure, whatever, I don't believe you. Haruhi made her way back to her guests thinking that Kyoya was just being cruel to her new senpai. That or he was trying to play cupid.


	4. Bye Bye Thursday Afternoons

Thursday afternoon meant kendo practice. Thursday afternoon meant an hour of repetitive, strengthening exercises. Thursday afternoon meant sparring practice with sensei. Thursday afternoon meant guiding the kohai. Thursday afternoon was pretty much the only time Mori enjoyed away from his cousin.

This Thursday afternoon was no different. The students worked on striking, centering, and cutting. Mori followed the sensei's instructions diligently. He moved smoothly as his wooden sword cut through the air without hesitation. They had been working for thirty minutes when a break was called. Pausing in his exercises, Mori strode to the side of the dojo looking for a towel. The group was allowed five minutes before sparring practice. Today, Mori was supposed to oversee the newest club members.

As break ended, Mori quickly put on his armor. He demonstrated a few steps and then, called his first sparring partner forward. Completely focused on his task, he walked his kohai through a practice match.

"Sensei!" A voice called from across the room.

Mori ignored the newcomer and called forward the next student.

"Hi, sorry, I'm a little out of breath." The voice continued panting slightly.

Mori's brain identified the voice as female, but he was to busy concentrating on his lesson to put a name to the voice.

"It's okay, Kasanoda-san. I heard you were joining us and were going to be late."

At Kasanoda, Mori's concentration slipped. He glanced towards the girl and barely had time to block his sparring partner's strike.

"Good," he grunted to the student and stepped back. Mori mentally shook himself and unsuccessfully, tried to ignore the intruder.

Noticing that Mori had a break between students, the sensei waved at him and called, "I want you to practice sparring with Kasanoda-san. She had some training at Lobelia, but I want to see her skill first hand. Do you want to warm up first, Kasanoda-san?" He addressed the short girl.

"I'm good!" She bounced on the balls of her feet. She had finally gotten her breath back, and the thought of kendo was quickly getting her pumped up. "Who am I sparring?"

"Morinozuka-san," he replied. Hearing that Mori was going to spar to test her skill, the rest of the kendo club paused in their practice.

"Taka-Mori!" Momoka exclaimed finally recognizing the tallest host. "I didn't know you were in the kendo club. I mean I guess I should've known since you're a national kendo champion, but I hadn't put much thought in you being in the school's kendo club."

Removing his helmet, he nodded to the hyper-active redhead. He watched as a fellow club member, Sakura or something like that Mori thought, was told to show her the club room so she could change. The rest of the club slowly gathered around, whispering to each other.

One brave person called out, "Take it easy on the pipsqueak, Mori-sempai." The rest of the group laughed in response.

Momoka had turned at the short comment, "Who are you calling a mousy little pipsequeak?!" She looked ready to charge, but Sakura grabbed her arm, "He didn't say anything about mousy."

"He was making fun of my height!" Momoka exclaimed loudly, but Sakura just drug her to the club room.

The kendo club snickered at her antics, but Mori just sighed and thought, "_Here goes my Thursday afternoons."_

When Momoka returned, she hadn't put on her helmet yet. The uniform looked bulky and ill-fitting on the short girl.

"Are you two ready?" Sensei addressed them. At their nods, he continued, "I'll be refereeing this match. Since it's a practice match, the winner will be the best of two out of three rounds. Morinozuka-san will be red, and Kasanoda-san will be white. Any questions?"

When both responded negatively, he motioned for them to get into position and put on their helmets. "On the count of three, I will blow my whistle and the match will begin. One…"

Mori watched as Momoka squared her shoulders and positioned her sword.

"Two…"

Momoka sized up her opponent, trying to determine the best technique to use.

"Three…Ptweet!" The whistle was blown and the match began.

The two shuffled in a semi-circle, both waiting for the first attack. Deciding to use her small stature to her advantage, Momoka rushed forward and attempted to hit Mori's wrist. In retaliation, Mori avoided the attack causing her sword to just hit air and leave her open to an attack.

Before he could strike, she shuffled to the left preparing to attack again.

_"She's quick,"_ Mori thought.

While analyzing his opponent, Mori noticed that she tended to focus on protecting her head more than her torso.

"_Most people must aim for her head when attacking," _He thought to himself. _"It'll work to my advantage."_

As she aimed for his left wrist again, Mori countered with a precise hit to her torso.

"Point, red." Sensei whistled signifying the end of the first round.

Mori and Momoka returned to their starting positions waiting for round two to start.

At the whistle, Momoka shuffled back causing Mori to follow. Mori took an offensive position and prepared to strike. Momoka met his blade with her own and the two were locked in a sword guard tangle. Seconds ticked by and neither opponent gave in. Sensei brought the whistle to his lips to stop the match and separate them.

Before the shrill noise sounded, Momoka saw her opening. She barely relinquished her hold allowing Mori's sword to move just a few centimeters. As his sword followed hers down, she swung right and struck him on his wrist.

The whistle sounded, but a point wasn't called. The two students separated waiting for a verdict.

"What do you guys think? Was the hit too shallow?" Sensei asked the other club members who had gathered around. "I guess this is why they usually require three referees." He chuckled. "Let's come to a consensus. Should the hit count? If yes, raise your hands."

After a short pause, three fourths of the group raised their hands.

"Point, white." Sensei called, "Prepare for the third round."

Tied one to one, the third round began.

Mori knew that as long as he kept out of her reach, he had the advantage. The problem was she was quick on her feet and staying out of her reach would be difficult.

She moved forward, and Mori stepped back.

"_One point, that's all I need,"_ he thought competitively. Although he was mellow usually, he did have a competitive streak, especially when kendo was involved.

Their sparring continued for several seconds. Neither kendoist was willing to give an inch to their opponent.

The rest of the kendo club was hushed, just watching their best member sparring against their newest member. It was like watching a tennis match. When it seemed like one would get the upper hand, the other would manage to move them back.

Momoka knew she needed to get close enough to strike his wrists or waist. Her impatience was getting the better of her. She knew that once she got impatient she was likely to make a mistake. Momoka needed to act quickly. Side stepping and moving forward, she struck his wrist with a solid hit.

"Point, white." Sensei announced, slightly awed.

"Whoo! Go, Kasanoda-san!" The club cheered and rushed forward to congratulate their new club mate.

Mori couldn't believe it, but he was beaten fair and square by the short red-head. It was not often that he was beaten, but it did happen. Maybe he had been a little cocky. It wasn't a word people usually used to describe him, but that must have been his fatal flaw.

"Good match, Taka-Mori!" Momoka pulled herself away from the crowd to shake Mori's hand.

"Good match," he intoned.

"We should have a match again. It was a great work out. I'm really glad to join the kendo club."

Mori nodded, but his only thought was "_there goes my Thursday afternoons."_

_Emy Note: If you caught the FMA reference, double brownie points for you. When I told my husband the main character was short, he said I had to make a big deal about it. I hope you liked it. :D_


End file.
